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Africa · Meta market: Nigeria

Messaging Nigeria on the WhatsApp Business API: the cost, then the consent

Africa's most populous country, 165 million mobile connections, and a data-protection directive that asks for consent before any direct marketing. Start with what your volume will cost.

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Time zone
WAT, UTC+1, no daylight saving[10]
Meta market
Nigeria (own rate card line)
Data law
NDP Act 2023 and GAID 2025[4],[5]
Regulator
Nigeria Data Protection Commission[4]
People
About 239 million (Oct 2025)[1]
Mobile connections
165 million (late 2025)[3]
Billing
₹ from India, plus GST for Indian firms

Per message · ₹ · ex-GST

Nigeria

Marketing
₹4.54
Utility
₹0.5898
Authentication
₹0.5898
Service replies
₹0.5898

InfiQ’s published rates, effective 1 October 2026.

For Indian businesses selling into Nigeria and Nigerian firms comparing providers: what a month of WhatsApp messages to +234 numbers costs at InfiQ's rates, what the NDP Act and the NDPC's 2025 directive require before marketing, and why the NCC's do-not-disturb rules do not reach WhatsApp.

What it costs

Price a month of messages to Nigerian numbers

Nigeria has its own line on Meta's rate card. Set your monthly volume by category and the explorer prices it at InfiQ's Nigeria rates, beside the same mix sent to Indian numbers.

Monthly volume · illustrative mix
15,000
60,000
25,000
20,000

Nigeria rate card · ex-GST

₹1,30,061a month

Cost by message category for messages to Nigeria
Marketing15,000 × ₹4.54₹68,132
Utility60,000 × ₹0.5898₹35,388
Authentication25,000 × ₹0.5898₹14,745
Service replies20,000 × ₹0.5898₹11,796

The same mix sent to numbers in India would cost ₹32,204. Meta prices each message by the recipient’s country, so what you pay depends on where your customers are, not where your business is.

InfiQ’s per-message rates for this market, effective 1 October 2026, in ₹ excluding GST. Volume commitments earn discounts; the final rate is confirmed on your account.

The starting mix is illustrative: a lender or retailer sending mostly transaction alerts and one-time codes, with a smaller promotional list. Replace it with your own numbers. Service replies have been charged per message since 1 October 2026.

Nigeria by the numbers that matter for messaging

Scale, growth and prices are all moving, so each figure carries its period.

Nigeria is Africa's most populous country, with about 239 million people in October 2025; the U.S. Commercial Service calls it the continent's fourth-largest economy.[1]

Real GDP grew 4.2% in the first half of 2026, and the World Bank expects growth to average 4.4% over 2026–28.[2]

Headline inflation fell from 27.4% in March 2025 to 15.1% in February 2026, after reforms that included subsidy removal and exchange-rate unification.[2]

Kepios counted 109 million internet users (45.5% of the population) and 165 million cellular mobile connections in late 2025.[3]

The Nigeria Data Protection Commission publishes the Data Protection Act in Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo versions as well as English.[6]

Compliance

The NDP Act, the GAID, and the rules that do not apply

Nigeria's data law reaches businesses outside Nigeria that target people in it, which includes an Indian sender. The telecom regulator's do-not-disturb rules, by contrast, stop at SMS and calls.

The Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023, in force since 12 June 2023, and the NDPC's General Application and Implementation Directive (GAID), issued on 20 March 2025, govern personal data, including the numbers and chats a WhatsApp programme holds.[4],[5]

Regulator: Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC)

  1. Point 1

    Consent for any direct marketing

    Article 18(1)(a) of the GAID requires consent 'for any direct marketing activity'. The Act defines consent as freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous, by a statement or an affirmative action. Neither text mentions WhatsApp; reading them as covering WhatsApp promotions is an interpretation, and the safer one.[5],[4]

  2. Point 2

    A real choice to accept or decline

    Where consent is required, the GAID (Article 17(9)) says the person must get 'a clear and explicit option to accept or to decline'. Two quick-reply buttons of equal weight give that option; a pre-selected yes is hard to square with it.[5]

  3. Point 3

    Objections end marketing at once

    Section 36 lets a person object to direct marketing at any time, after which their data may no longer be processed for it; section 35 makes withdrawing consent as easy as giving it.[4]

  4. Point 4

    Senders outside Nigeria are covered

    The GAID (Article 1(2), citing section 2(c) of the Act) applies the law to controllers and processors outside Nigeria that process or target the personal data of people in Nigeria. An Indian business messaging Nigerian customers should plan on that basis.[5]

  5. Point 5

    Registration for controllers of major importance

    Data controllers and processors of major importance must register with the NDPC and file compliance audit returns (GAID Articles 8 to 10). Whether you qualify turns on your own processing, measured against the GAID's criteria.[5]

  6. Point 6

    The NCC's DND rules cover SMS and voice, not WhatsApp

    The Nigerian Communications (Consumer Code of Practice) Regulations, 2024 bind NCC licensees, the telecom operators: unsolicited SMS and calls must be compliant to transit their networks, consumers opt in or out with a code the Commission provides, and telemarketing honours do-not-call preferences. The rules do not mention apps such as WhatsApp.[7]

  7. Point 7

    Digital lenders: the FCCPC's DEON Regulations

    In July 2026 the FCCPC resumed enforcing the Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations, 2025 after a Federal High Court ruling. Lenders that contact borrowers by message should check every reminder against them.[8]

  8. Point 8

    Meta requires opt-in before the first message

    The WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy lets a business message someone only after they have shared their number or username and opted in to receive its messages.[11]

  9. A summary of public guidance from the sources cited, not legal advice.

Who messages what

Five sectors and the messages they send

Sector figures from the U.S. Commercial Service, the World Bank and NIBSS, each with the WhatsApp use that fits it.

SectorWhat it sends on WhatsApp
Financial services and fintechOnly half of adults have access to formal financial services, the U.S. Commercial Service reports. NIBSS, owned by licensed banks including the Central Bank of Nigeria, runs NIP, the real-time interbank transfer service.[1],[9]
  • Transaction alerts
  • KYC document collection
  • Repayment reminders, with consent
  • Account support
Telecoms and ICTOver 210 million active mobile subscribers and broadband penetration above 40%, in a market the U.S. Commercial Service describes as leading Africa's ICT sector.[1]
  • Plan renewals
  • Top-up reminders
  • Support after an IVR call
AgricultureAgriculture employs nearly 70% of the population and contributes 24% of GDP (U.S. Commercial Service); the World Bank credits stronger agriculture for part of the first-half 2026 growth.[1],[2]
  • Input ordering
  • Price updates for opted-in agro-dealers
  • Extension advice
Oil and gasOil contributed 5.7% of GDP in the second quarter of 2024 but accounts for 29% of government revenues.[1]
  • Contractor notices
  • Safety broadcasts to opted-in crews
  • Logistics coordination
Services, retail and educationServices were a main driver of real GDP growth in the first half of 2026, the World Bank reports.[2]
  • Order and pay-on-delivery confirmation
  • Delivery updates
  • Admissions and appointment reminders

Locate it

West Africa Time, four and a half hours behind India

One time zone covers the whole country, and it does not change with the seasons.

Because Nigeria keeps West Africa Time all year, the arithmetic is fixed: 09:00 in Lagos or Abuja is 13:30 in New Delhi, and a send scheduled for 10:00 IST lands at 05:30 local time. Schedule Nigerian broadcasts for the Indian afternoon.

Drag the globe to compare the distance with your other markets. Each one is priced from India in rupees, at the rate for the recipient's country.

Drag or swipe to rotate. Use the arrow keys to rotate, plus and minus to zoom, and 0 to reset.

Prices in ₹ and NGN

Plans and the Nigeria rate card, side by side

Plans start at ₹999 a month for Lite and ₹2,999 for Growth; Enterprise is quoted. Messages to +234 numbers are charged per delivered message at the Nigeria rate: marketing ₹4.54, utility ₹0.5898, authentication ₹0.5898, service replies ₹0.5898.

Snapshot rates · as of 20 Oct 2026, 00:02 UTC

Lite

₹999 / month≈ ₦14,132 NGN

₹833 / month, billed yearly≈ ₦11,784 NGN

Growth

₹2,999 / month≈ ₦42,425 NGN

₹2,499 / month, billed yearly≈ ₦35,352 NGN

Enterprise

Custom volume pricing, custom SLA and dedicated infrastructure.

Per message to Nigeria · Nigeria

InfiQ per-message rates for Nigeria in rupees and NGN
Category₹ INRNGN
Marketing₹4.5421₦64.3
Utility₹0.5898₦8.3
Authentication₹0.5898₦8.3
Service₹0.5898₦8.3
Per-message rates for all 47 markets, in ₹ and NGN
Per-message rates by market, effective 1 October 2026
MarketMarketingUtilityAuthenticationService
Argentina₦76.9₹5.4352₦32.4₹2.2874₦32.4₹2.2874₦32.4₹2.2874
Bangladesh₦91.1₹6.4397₦4.6₹0.3254₦4.6₹0.3254₦4.6₹0.3254
Brazil₦77.8₹5.4970₦8.5₹0.5981₦8.5₹0.5981₦8.5₹0.5981
Chile₦111₹7.8162₦24.9₹1.7585₦24.9₹1.7585₦24.9₹1.7585
Colombia₦15.6₹1.0993₦0.999₹0.0706₦0.999₹0.0706₦0.999₹0.0706
Egypt₦80.1₹5.6629₦4.5₹0.3167₦4.5₹0.3167₦4.5₹0.3167
France₦107₹7.5588₦37.3₹2.6393₦37.3₹2.6393₦37.3₹2.6393
Germany₦170₹12.0088₦68.4₹4.8386₦68.4₹4.8386₦68.4₹4.8386
Hong Kong₦91.1₹6.4397₦32.3₹2.2867₦32.3₹2.2867₦32.3₹2.2867
Hungary₦107₹7.5596₦43.4₹3.0700₦43.4₹3.0700₦43.4₹3.0700
India₦13.3₹0.9435₦2.7₹0.1941₦2.0₹0.1402₦2.1₹0.1450
Indonesia₦51.1₹3.6133₦31.1₹2.1979₦31.1₹2.1979₦31.1₹2.1979
Iraq₦42.4₹2.9992₦9.8₹0.6943₦9.8₹0.6943₦9.8₹0.6943
Israel₦43.9₹3.1045₦6.6₹0.4662₦6.6₹0.4662₦6.6₹0.4662
Italy₦98.8₹6.9847₦37.3₹2.6369₦37.3₹2.6369₦37.3₹2.6369
Kazakhstan₦75.1₹5.3098₦22.4₹1.5824₦22.4₹1.5824₦22.4₹1.5824
Kuwait₦98.6₹6.9671₦54.7₹3.8671₦54.7₹3.8671₦54.7₹3.8671
Malaysia₦107₹7.5644₦17.4₹1.2314₦17.4₹1.2314₦17.4₹1.2314
Mexico₦49.3₹3.4877₦10.6₹0.7471₦10.6₹0.7471₦10.6₹0.7471
Morocco₦51.5₹3.6425₦28.6₹2.0218₦28.6₹2.0218₦28.6₹2.0218
Netherlands₦199₹14.0494₦62.2₹4.3987₦62.2₹4.3987₦62.2₹4.3987
Nepal₦91.1₹6.4397₦4.2₹0.2990₦4.2₹0.2990₦4.2₹0.2990
Nigeria₦64.3₹4.5421₦8.3₹0.5898₦8.3₹0.5898₦8.3₹0.5898
Oman₦42.4₹2.9992₦30.7₹2.1709₦30.7₹2.1709₦30.7₹2.1709
Pakistan₦58.9₹4.1620₦18.7₹1.3200₦18.7₹1.3200₦18.7₹1.3200
Peru₦87.5₹6.1843₦37.3₹2.6392₦37.3₹2.6392₦37.3₹2.6392
Poland₦45.4₹3.2105₦15.1₹1.0702₦15.1₹1.0702₦15.1₹1.0702
Qatar₦42.4₹2.9992₦14.9₹1.0547₦14.9₹1.0547₦14.9₹1.0547
Romania₦107₹7.5596₦36.0₹2.5436₦36.0₹2.5436₦36.0₹2.5436
Russia₦99.8₹7.0520₦49.8₹3.5173₦49.8₹3.5173₦49.8₹3.5173
Saudi Arabia₦71.5₹5.0537₦13.3₹0.9401₦13.3₹0.9401₦13.3₹0.9401
Singapore₦91.1₹6.4397₦19.9₹1.4072₦19.9₹1.4072₦19.9₹1.4072
South Africa₦47.2₹3.3385₦11.8₹0.8369₦11.8₹0.8369₦11.8₹0.8369
Spain₦87.9₹6.2161₦24.9₹1.7578₦24.9₹1.7578₦24.9₹1.7578
Sri Lanka₦91.1₹6.4397₦2.5₹0.1759₦2.5₹0.1759₦2.5₹0.1759
Turkey₦13.6₹0.9587₦1.1₹0.0792₦1.1₹0.0792₦1.1₹0.0792
Ukraine₦107₹7.5596₦37.0₹2.6138₦37.0₹2.6138₦37.0₹2.6138
United Arab Emirates₦71.5₹5.0537₦19.5₹1.3811₦19.5₹1.3811₦19.5₹1.3811
United Kingdom₦78.9₹5.5795₦27.4₹1.9346₦27.4₹1.9346₦27.4₹1.9346
North America₦31.1₹2.1976₦4.2₹0.2989₦4.2₹0.2989₦4.2₹0.2989
Rest of Africa₦28.0₹1.9796₦5.0₹0.3516₦5.0₹0.3516₦5.0₹0.3516
Rest of Asia Pacific₦105₹7.4057₦14.1₹0.9938₦14.1₹0.9938₦14.1₹0.9938
Rest of Central & Eastern Europe₦107₹7.5596₦26.3₹1.8595₦26.3₹1.8595₦26.3₹1.8595
Rest of Latin America₦92.0₹6.5048₦14.1₹0.9934₦14.1₹0.9934₦14.1₹0.9934
Rest of Middle East₦48.8₹3.4490₦11.3₹0.7998₦11.3₹0.7998₦11.3₹0.7998
Rest of Western Europe₦73.6₹5.2054₦21.2₹1.5019₦21.2₹1.5019₦21.2₹1.5019
Other₦75.1₹5.3098₦9.6₹0.6769₦9.6₹0.6769₦9.6₹0.6769
Currency converter

₦14,132 NGN

Indicative conversion at reference rates (ExchangeRate-API snapshot). InfiQ sets and invoices prices in Indian rupees, excluding GST; your bank’s rate on the day you pay will differ. Rates By Exchange Rate API.

Plan prices are monthly, in rupees, excluding GST; yearly billing is two months free. Messages are charged per delivered message on top of the plan, at the rate for the recipient’s country. Full details: InfiQ pricing. The naira column is indicative and moves with the exchange rate; InfiQ invoices in rupees, with GST for Indian businesses.

Rates for every Meta market, plus plans and add-ons, are on one page.

See all plans and rates

Template languages for Nigerian customers

English carries most templates. Hausa is on Meta's template list; Yoruba, Igbo and Nigerian Pidgin are not.

Ask each contact which language they want when they opt in, and keep it on the contact record. Templates go out in English or Hausa; inside the 24-hour customer service window your agents can reply in Yoruba, Igbo or Pidgin, because free-form replies are not templates.

InfiQ supports teams in English and Hindi, on India time.

Meta template languages relevant to Nigeria
LanguageMeta codeUse it for
EnglishenThe default for templates nationwide
HausahaFor customers who chose Hausa when they opted in

On InfiQ

What a Nigeria programme runs on

The InfiQ capabilities that answer the questions Nigerian buyers ask first.

  1. Consent records and opt-out enforcement

    The audit trail an NDPC review would ask about: who opted in, where and when, with an opt-out enforced even against later imports.

  2. Shared team inbox

    Agents in Lagos and Abuja can answer one number together, with agent and manager roles, transfers and labels.

  3. Developer API and webhooks

    Core banking, loan management and e-commerce systems send alerts through the REST API, with signed webhooks for delivery and replies.

  4. Broadcast campaigns

    Promotions go only to contacts who said yes, in segments, scheduled for West Africa Time.

  5. Template manager and library

    Draft alert, reminder and one-time-code templates, track Meta's approval, and fix rejections before a launch date.

  6. Customer data hosted in India

    Customer data is processed in data centres in India; a Nigerian controller should cover that in its own NDP Act assessment.

Getting started

From first template to first send

Two routes, depending on where your business is registered.

  1. From India

    Start a 7-day Lite trial

    No card needed. Set up the inbox and draft templates while verification runs.

  2. From India

    Verify with Meta

    InfiQ guides business verification and number registration; go-live is about two hours once Meta business verification is complete.

  3. From India

    Collect consent the GAID way

    Offer a clear yes or no for WhatsApp marketing, record it, and keep transactional alerts separate from promotions.

  4. From India

    Budget and send

    Use the explorer above to set a budget; messages to +234 numbers appear on your rupee invoice at the Nigeria rate.

  5. Based in Nigeria

    Talk to sales

    InfiQ serves India-based businesses, bills in rupees and supports teams in English and Hindi on India time. Sales will tell you whether it can serve a business registered in Nigeria.

  6. Based in Nigeria

    Check your NDPC status

    Know whether you are a controller of major importance before you add a new processor.

  7. Based in Nigeria

    Map the data flow

    InfiQ processes customer data in India and the Cloud API is run by Meta; include both in your records.

City guides in Nigeria

Questions businesses ask about WhatsApp in Nigeria

Do the NCC's do-not-disturb rules apply to WhatsApp messages in Nigeria?+
No. The Consumer Code of Practice Regulations, 2024 bind NCC licensees and deal with unsolicited SMS and voice calls on their networks, including the opt-out code and do-not-call preferences. They do not mention apps such as WhatsApp. WhatsApp marketing is governed by the NDP Act, the GAID and Meta's opt-in policy instead.
Does the GAID mean we need fresh consent before messaging our existing customer list?+
Possibly. Article 18(1)(a) requires consent for any direct marketing activity, and Article 17(9) asks for a clear and explicit option to accept or decline. If your list was built without a clear WhatsApp marketing choice, the cautious course is to ask again inside a service or utility conversation and record each answer. Order and account alerts serve a different purpose.
Does Nigeria's data law apply to an Indian company messaging Nigerian customers?+
Yes, on the GAID's reading. Article 1(2), citing section 2(c) of the Act, applies the law to controllers and processors outside Nigeria that process or target the personal data of people in Nigeria. An Indian exporter, edtech or support centre messaging Nigerian numbers should meet the Act's consent and objection rules.
Are we a data controller of major importance that has to register with the NDPC?+
It depends on your own processing. GAID Articles 8 to 10 require controllers and processors of major importance to register with the NDPC and file compliance audit returns, under criteria the directive sets out. Choosing a WhatsApp provider does not settle the question for you; check the criteria in the GAID itself.
Can customers pay by bank transfer from inside a WhatsApp chat?+
Not inside the chat on InfiQ, which does not offer in-chat payments. Put your account details or a payment link from your provider in a utility template, and connect the provider through InfiQ's API and webhooks so a confirmation follows. Real-time bank transfers in Nigeria run on NIBSS Instant Payment.
Can we send templates in Pidgin, Hausa, Yoruba or Igbo?+
Hausa, yes: it is on Meta's template list under the code ha. Yoruba, Igbo and Nigerian Pidgin are not, so templates for those customers go out in English. Replies inside the 24-hour window are free-form, so agents can write them in any of the four.
What should a digital lender check before sending repayment reminders on WhatsApp?+
Start with the FCCPC's Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations, 2025, which the FCCPC resumed enforcing in July 2026, and the NDP Act's consent and objection rules. Message only borrowers who opted in, keep the wording and timing of each reminder on record, and honour a STOP immediately.
Can agents in Lagos and Abuja answer from one WhatsApp number?+
Yes. InfiQ's shared team inbox lets one number be answered by a team: 10 users on Lite and 25 on Growth, with agent and manager roles, transfers, private notes, labels and canned replies. Labels can split conversations by city or by product line.

Sources

Facts on this page were checked against these sources on the dates shown. InfiQ's rates come from its published rate card. Page updated 2026-10-20.

  1. [1]Nigeria Country Commercial Guide (5 September 2025) · U.S. International Trade Administration · read 2026-10-20
  2. [2]Nigeria overview (October 2026) · World Bank · read 2026-10-20
  3. [3]Digital 2026: Nigeria · DataReportal / Kepios · read 2026-10-20
  4. [4]Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023 (official text) · Nigeria Data Protection Commission · read 2026-10-20
  5. [5]NDP Act General Application and Implementation Directive (GAID) 2025 · Nigeria Data Protection Commission · read 2026-10-20
  6. [6]Resources (NDP Act in Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo) · Nigeria Data Protection Commission · read 2026-10-20
  7. [7]Consumer Code of Practice Regulations 2024 (Official Gazette No. 129, 30 July 2024) · Nigerian Communications Commission · read 2026-10-20
  8. [8]FCCPC resumes digital lending regulation (20 July 2026) · Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission · read 2026-10-20
  9. [9]NIBSS Instant Payment · Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) · read 2026-10-20
  10. [10]africa file: Africa/Lagos · IANA Time Zone Database (tz) · read 2026-10-20
  11. [11]WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy (updated 23 September 2026) · WhatsApp (Meta) · read 2026-10-20

Know the cost, collect the consent, then send

Indian businesses can start a 7-day Lite trial, no card needed. Businesses based in Nigeria: talk to sales about availability before you plan a migration.

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